Baghdad -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Some Christians in Iraq 's capital were considering leaving , following a wave of bombings targeting members of their religion that left two dead and 16 others wounded .

`` I am 60 years old and I gave a lot to this country , but this tough situation is like a message asking me to leave my country , '' said Kiyour Kizarab , the male head of a Christian family whose house was targeted Thursday in central Baghdad . `` If these attacks will continue , and the government ca n't stop them , then I do n't think we will have a future here . ''

The strikes appeared to be coordinated because they all took place within an hour , an Interior Ministry official said . Explosives were left outside and in the gardens of 14 homes in six neighborhoods across Iraq 's sprawling capital .

Among the homes targeted by improvised explosive devices was one Muslim dwelling that was picked because it had a Christmas tree inside , the male head of the family , Ibrahim Sharba , told CNN .

The assaults mirrored the early-morning bombings of Christian homes in Baghdad on November 10 .

There were two explosions in the east , in New Baghdad ; two in Yarmouk ; six in the central Baghdad district of Karrada ; two in the southern region of Dora ; and one each in al-Saydia and Al-Ameriya , the official said .

The violence is the latest targeting the Christian minority in Iraq , which has a predominantly Muslim population .

One of the deadliest attacks came October 31 , when militants stormed the Sayidat al-Nejat Cathedral , or Our Lady of Salvation Church , in Baghdad . Some 70 people died and 75 others , including 51 congregants and two priests , were wounded .

The violence has prompted a `` slow but steady exodus '' of thousands of Christians from Baghdad and Mosul , the U.N. refugee agency said recently .

Before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion , Christians were estimated to number 1.4 million in Iraq , but the violence and persecution that followed drove nearly half of them out .

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Baghdad and Mosul Christians have headed to other destinations in Iraq , including the Kurdish region and the Nineveh Plains , which have a strong Christian presence .

`` We have heard many accounts of people fleeing their homes after receiving direct threats . Some were able to take only a few belongings with them , '' the agency said in a statement . `` Churches and NGOs -LSB- nongovernmental organizations -RSB- are warning us to expect more people fleeing in the coming weeks . ''

U.N. offices in Syria , Jordan and Lebanon are reporting a growing number of Iraqi Christian arrivals .

Many Christians in Iraq said they toned down their Christmas celebrations this year because of threats by militants in recent weeks .

CNN 's Jomana Karadsheh and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report .

@highlight

The attacks targeted 14 homes across Baghdad Thursday

@highlight

The strikes appeared to be coordinated

@highlight

Attacks like these have generated fear among Iraqi Christians